Waynesburg ranked 7th in PAC preseason poll
LATROBE — The lessons Dr. Cornelius Coleman learned in his first season as Waynesburg University’s head football coach were many.
But it was the general quality of the programs and the week-in-and-week-out competitiveness of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference that made the most impact on Coleman.
“My first year was exciting and it was fun and it was humbling,” Coleman said during the PAC’s annual preseason gathering Wednesday morning and afternoon at Saint Vincent College. “I give credit to my staff, team, and our administration. I’m excited about the future.
“What I learned in my first year in the PAC was that all the coaches in here today and all the players here are outstanding. It’s almost a dogfight every single week. Every week, it’s the best competition you’ll ever want to see. This is great competition.”
The Yellow Jackets, who went 4-6 overall and 3-5 to finish seventh in the 11-team PAC, traded wins and losses through their first four games of 2022.
Waynesburg played one of its best games against eventual conference champion CMU before falling 27-20. The Yellow Jackets won their next two before losing their final three games.
Waynesburg was ranked seventh in the PAC’s annual preseason poll, voted on Wednesday afternoon by conference head coaches, sports information directors and members of the media.
CMU, two-time defending champion, was selected as the overwhelming favorite in the league heading into the 2023 season. The Tartans were nearly a unanimous choice.
The Tartans received 36 first-place votes and totaled 415 points to headline the poll.
Washington and Jefferson College finished second with one first-place vote and 363 points while Westminster College was third with 326 points.
Grove City College collected one first place vote and ranked fourth (312), Case Western Reserve University was fifth (283), Saint Vincent College was sixth (204), Waynesburg garnered 179 points, Geneva College was eighth (152), Allegheny College was ninth (145), Thiel College was 10th (72), and Bethany College was 11th (57).
“We appreciate the recognition from the PAC on being named first in this year’s preseason poll,” said second-year CMU Coach Ryan Larsen. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work our players, coaches and administration has poured into our program over the past few years.
“With that in mind, we also understand that the competitiveness of this league week in and week out does not allow us to take any team lightly,” added Larsen.
Waynesburg senior running back Justin Flack joined Coleman at the gathering and said the future looks good for Yellow Jackets football and that the program is making strides in all areas.
Flack is returning for his fifth year at Waynesburg and Coleman admitted he “courted” Flack as much as anyone he has in his career.
Flack added that the passion within the program is on the rise. That shows in that nearly a half dozen players returned for their fifth and final season of eligibility.
“I love the game,” Flack said. ‘it’s something I can’t get away from. We’re going to grow into old men one day and won’t be able to play this game anymore.
“We have players excited to play and are feeling good about our team. It’s why I came back and others came back.”
The Yellow Jackets open the season at 1 p.m. Sept. 2 at John F. Wiley Stadium against Allegheny.
Media Day opened with a welcome from PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko, which was followed by long-time WJPA radio’s Bob Gregg and Mark Uriah being honored as this year’s recipients of the Dow Carnahan Media Award.
Carnahan, a long-time supporter and friend of the PAC, passed away unexpectedly on April 29, 2016.
The award is presented annually to a distinguished member of the media or on-campus representative for his or her commendable service while covering and promoting the conference’s student-athletes, coaches and programs.
The 2023 season will mark the 40th season that Gregg and Uriah will team up to call W&J games on WJPA.